Madeira Dengue Fever Outbreak update - weekly number of new cases reported locally continue to decrease. End of weekly updates.

Madeira Dengue Fever outbreak with sustained decrease in number of new local cases - less 7% than previous week. In the weekly update on 19 December 2012 regarding Dengue Fever outbreak in Madeira since 3 October 2012, the National Health Authorities reported 2103 cases of dengue fever, as follows:

Number of cases reported by non-resident citizens with recent stay in Madeira: 58

The prevention recommendations remain in place as well as actions to reduce local transmission and export of the Aedes aegypti mosquito vector.

ECDC maintains there is no trade or travel restriction beyond disinfestation. The ECDC in is weekly "Communicable Disease Threats report", Week 49, 2-8 December 2012 reconfirmed there are no trade or travel restrictions to and from Madeira as did the National Health Authorities in the update of 19-12-2012 below

"The epidemiological situation does not imply the need for any trade or travel restriction beyond the disinfestation policies currently implemented"

Due to the sustained drop in new local cases of Dengue fever, the National Health Authorities will stop releasing weekly updated, only issue updates when necessary.

Comments and Analysis by ZINO

As reported in the ECDC report 13 December 2012, although there is a reduction in number of new cases, new cases are still being reported:

The updated figures indicate that the outbreak has peaked and despite an important decrease of the number of notified cases reported, the outbreak is still on-going. Therefore, more cases among the island’s population as well as among returning tourists should be expected.The main breeding period of the dengue mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, will continue until the beginning of next year and coincides with a peak in the number of visitors to the island over the Christmas holidays.

There was fanfare that the regional authorities including the "Tourism Board" and "Regional Health Authorities" as well as the "Chamber of Commerce" and "enterprises" were setting up a commission to monitor this situation. We very much hope that monitoring will occur so that when there is the next Aedes aegypti mosquito surge, adequate measures can be taken in a timely fashion to prevent large mosquito populations and consequent dengue transmission.

If you would be interested in participating in a monitoring programme, please contact us.